San Joaquin County was one of the first counties formed when California reached statehood in 1850 and, as such, it is only fitting that our county farm bureau is also one of the oldest.

Our story begins 100 years ago in 1914, when Congress passed the Smith-Lever Act. This created within the University of California system a team of farm advisers now known as University of California Cooperative Extension. They were formed to work with local farmers on improving agriculture techniques, thus ensuring the continuation of agricultural research.

In order to bring a farm adviser to your county, it was necessary for farmers to come together. In our county, 650 of our farmers united on April 11, 1914, to form the San Joaquin Farm Bureau Federation (SJFB). These members were further divided into farm centers based on location. They included: Thornton, Holt, Lodi, Acampo, Lockeford, Farmington, Escalon, Ripon, Manteca, Tracy, Burnett, Wrightman and Stockton. Due to shifts in population and the economies of certain locations, we currently have nine farm centers: Acampo, Calla-Nile Garden, Collegeville, Escalon, Lafayette, Linden, Roberts-Union, Tracy and Victor. We are one of only two County Farm Bureaus in the state to maintain the “farm center” approach.

Our founding members quickly discovered that by uniting they would also be able to better protect, preserve and promote the agriculture community. However, shortly after the formation of SJFB, World War I broke out in Europe and our focus shifted from these local ag issues to working on the war effort.

After the war, the Board of Directors' attention gradually shifted to legislative problems, including roads, marketing, legal matters, taxes and water. As legislative concerns became more dominant, it became apparent that a California Farm Bureau Federation and American Farm Bureau Federation were also needed, both formed in 1919.

Besides legislation and work done with cooperative extension, SJFB has also been very involved in the community. In 1919, from the hard work of our Board and our very determined President J.M. Bigger, SJFB was able to organize a County Fair at Oak Park. This was the first County Fair since they had been discontinued in 1902. By the early 1930s, our membership had grown substantially and by 1931 we boasted 2,301 members, which made us the largest farm bureau in the country. Our accomplishments varied widely and included, but were not limited to: assisting with road problems, taking responsibility for inspection of county bridges and sponsoring 4-H events.

By 1941, SJFB’s focus shifted once again to the war effort, with contributions focused on war emergency and defense work. These included mapping and organizing the sections of the county into subcommittees responsible for the prevention of sabotage and fires and providing information and cooperation in any national food production plan. During the war, SJFB received much criticism due to our position that many of the Japanese descendant’s interred were Americans and thereby entitled to all their civil liberties and rights. In more recent times, SJFB has been very involved with immigration reform and through government contracts ran the 1987 Alien Legalization for Agriculture, which allowed for thousands of local workers to become U.S. Citizens.

We worked in opposition to the Delta Peripheral Canals, defeated by vote in 1982, and continue the campaign today against the twin tunnels. We worked with the Board of Supervisors for a resolution to preserve agriculture in the County (1968) and continue to work for its preservation by ensuring the enforcement of the Williamson Act. SJFB also works with other agriculture organizations on the promotion and enforcement of pesticide regulation, tire and chemical recycling and the prevention of rural crimes.

We have come a long way and, as we reflect on the past one hundred years, we believe our organization is best described by our past President S.A. Shearer (1920-1921) when he said, “Not to be a member of farm bureau is to withhold support from one of the best movements ever inaugurated to make farm life attractive.” While it is good to recognize past accomplishments, as we look forward it is exhilarating to see where the future will lead this historic organization.